Research paper about liver, Essays (university) of Biology

Download Research paper about liver and more Essays (university) Biology in PDF only on Docsity! Research Biology Paper Liver The human’s body is everything that makes up a human. The body consists of a number of biological systems that carry out specific functions that are necessary for everyday living. The body system includes circulatory system, digestive system, immune system, lymphatic system, nervous system and more. There are five main organs inside the body that are essential for survival. These are the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and liver. The liver is a large, meaty organ that is on the right side of the belly. Weighing about 3 pounds, the liver is reddish-brown in color and feels rubbery to the touch. Normally you can't feel the liver, because it's protected by the rib cage. The liver has two large sections, called the right and the left lobes. The gallbladder sits under the liver, along with parts of the pancreas and intestines. The liver and these organs work together to digest, absorb, and process food. Liver carries out over 600 essential tasks; including “detoxifying of harmful chemicals, breakdown of drugs, filtering of blood, secretion of bile and production of blood-clotting proteins.”(Rettner, Rachael, March 10, 2016). Liver is known for its many facts. Liver is the body's largest internal organ. “Liver has a lot of complicated jobs according to Nancy Reau, MD, the section chief of hepatology and associate director of organ transplantation at Rush University.” (JORDAN ROSENFELD, MAY 13, 2017) Some of its jobs include making and storing energy; producing proteins vital for body function; processing drugs—prescriptions, OTCs. Liver is the biggest organ in the body liver weighs about the same as a small Chihuahua, often as much as three pounds, and is about the size of a football. It's located just beneath your rib cage on the right side of your body. If you could feel it, it would be rubbery to the touch. The liver holds approximately 10 percent of the blood in your body, and pumps nearly 1.5 liters through itself per minute. The liver has the incredible ability to completely regrow, and it only needs as little as 25 percent of the original tissue to do so. “When a person donates more than half of their liver to someone who needs a transplant, the liver returns to its original size in nearly two weeks,” Reau. (Armand, W. (2019, January 10). Fatty liver disease: What it is and what to do about it. Retrieved April 25, 2019, fromhttps://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/fatty- liver-disease-what-it-is-and-what-to-do-about-it-2019011015746) The liver has multiple functions. It makes many of the chemicals required by the body to function normally, it breaks down and detoxifies substances in the body, and it also acts as a storage unit. The liver is also responsible for manufacturing cholesterol and triglycerides. Carbohydrates are also produced in the liver and the organ is responsible for turning glucose into glycogen that can be stored both in the liver and in the muscle cells. The liver also makes bile that helps with food digestion. The most important function for the liver is detoxification. Liver detoxifies the body by converting ammonia, a byproduct of metabolism in the body, into urea that is excreted in the urine by the kidneys. The liver also breaks down medications and drugs, including alcohol, and is responsible for breaking down insulin and other hormones in the body. The liver also stores vitamins and chemicals that the body requires as building blocks. These includes: vitamin B12, folic acid, iron required to make red blood cells, vitamin A for vision, vitamin D for calcium absorption, and vitamin K to help blood to clot properly. (Wedro, B. (n.d.). Liver Disease Symptoms, Types (NASH) Diet & Treatment. Retrieved April 26, 2019, from https:// www.medicinenet.com/liver_disease/ article.htm#what_should_i_know_about_liver_d isease) The liver can do most of the bodies work. It is helpful to the health, but at the same time, liver can be damaged and harmed by many things that we eat, drink. Therefore, these harmful food and substances harms the liver; too much alcohol, Cigarettes, Marijuana, Illicit drugs, nature herbal remedies some people take an herb called kava kava for menopause symptoms or to help them relax. But studies show that it can keep the liver from working right, large doses of vitamin A, Some prescription medicines, Fatty foods like sugar, candy, soda; the organ uses one type of sugar, called fructose, to make fat. Too much refined sugar